Tell me about Mumbai

dorothyinAus · April 2012

My older brother is heading to Mumbai for a week in mid-May, for work. He has never been to India before, and the recommended shots/immunizations/malaria pills from the tropical medicine department are making him a bit nervous.

He's a fairly good traveller, open to new experiences. He's a bit shy of native cuisines, but willing to try most things. He's travelled through Europe -- Italy, toured Germany and Austria, and followed the Tour de France two years in a row -- but never to India, a place and a culture neither he nor anyone in our family is familiar with.

Is there anything he needs to know? The tropical medicine nurse has him paranoid he will contract dengue fever or Japanese Encephalitis, but other than that he is looking forward to the adventure. It is a business trip, so he won't have much time for tourist-y activities, but may have a few evenings.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

GilliC · April 2012

Where will he be staying? If he's in or near Colaba, there are some things to be seen just walking around. I love the British Colonial architecture (especially the neo-Gothic Victoria Terminus - aka Chatrapathi Shivaji Terminus, but nobody calls it that). Some of the big business hotels are over along Marine Drive, and it's a pretty stretch at night with the lights along the water. If he has some time to explore, I would recommend taking the boat to Elephanta Island, but that's definitely a daytime activity.

Tell him not to stress about the vaccines too much. It's not a huge issue if hel'll be staying in the city. More likely he'll have digestive issues as they're kind of tough to avoid if you're not used to the food.

As awesome as the street food and hand-pressed sugar cane juice are, it's probably best to skip them! And if you really want to make him feel better, I had surgery there and spent a week heading back and forth across the city with big bandages on my head, and I lived to tell about it just fine. My biggest health problem is the pollution, and it always gives me a sinus infection. Presumably he'll be in private cars and an air conditioned hotel, which would be a huge help in this area!

expatjen · April 2012

I live in India and have visited Mumbai many times. It's a great, vibrant city with really awesome places to eat and see. If I could give advice to someone who's never traveled there, it would be to use bottled water for everything (even brushing your teeth) and be careful of the mosquitos. Other than that, enjoy! Oh and bring something to occupy yourself in the car, as traffic there is pretty horrible-but great for people-watching.

dorothyinAus · April 2012

Thanks for the info. I hope it will ease his trepidation. The tropical medicine unit had him in a near panic.

I'm not sure where he's staying, all I know is it's a Marriot. I know he has a car and driver arranged for the trip, and there should be no field work involved. He was promised that he would not be touring any sites. He's a chemical engineer, and the trip is for discussions/meetings for some engineering work on a factory overhaul being done out of the Indian office. I doubt he'll leave the urban areas.

Tell me about Mumbai

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